Personal training isn’t just for celebrities, wealthy people, and those who want to get perfectly toned bodies. Normal people like you and me can benefit from having a personal trainer to set fitness goals and accomplish them.
Personal trainers teach the correct exercise form and technique, create customized workout plans based on our health and fitness needs and keep us accountable to our goals.
Many fitness related institutions, like the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certify personal trainers. After receiving their certifications, personal trainers also need to go through continuing education, have special insurance, and take classes in order to maintain their licenses.
If you plan to work with a personal trainer, always see to it that he or she has some level of education and extensive experience in exercise and fitness. Other things to consider are: their availability, rate and location.
Who Can Benefit from a Personal Trainer?
The people who are most likely to benefit from hiring a personal trainer are individuals who are new to exercise, those who have had trouble sticking with a program, and those who don’t know how to achieve their goals.
Moreover, having partner that makes you accountable and cheers on your every little success is a big benefit that you can also get from working with a trainer.
Another benefit of working with a trainer is you get to tap on their expertise in human physiology — the proper exercise form, body movements and how to customize specific exercises to suit your abilities and limitations. With a trainer, you can learn proper form and have access to a personalized training plan that helps you achieve your goals in an efficient and safe manner.
Those with an underlying health condition can work with a trainer in order to train safely. They are expert at preventing injuries and they will work with you to make sure your workout will help you meet your fitness goals injury-free.
Personal trainers serve a crucial role in helping individual with chronic ailments stay active. It’s important because exercise can often help people manage the vast majority of chronic diseases and reduce their symptoms.
Those suffering from chronic conditions that cause pain, fatigue and other aggravating conditions might be inclined not to exercise even though movement and strengthening can help alleviate those symptoms.
Finding a Personal Trainer
Most gyms including Powerhouse Gym and World Gym employ personal trainers and match them with clients based on the client’s needs. Sports medicine clinics, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities also have personal trainers.
These professionals can be pricey, but what you can do is to research your options and look for a service that is within your budget. Here are some tips to help you find a personal trainer:
1. Check with your local gyms.
If you have a membership in a gym, check their personal training rates (and deals!).
2. Search freelance trainers.
Many cities have gyms for independent trainers and you can pay a per-session fee to the gym to use their facilities. Due to the trainer’s low overhead, their rate is often less expensive. Some of them also have home gyms.
3. Consider programming only.
If you’ve been exercising for quite some time now and just want to polish on your training a better (and less expensive) option is programming, basically you book 1-2 sessions per month, doing a progress check and adjusting your workouts.
4. Try small group training.
Many personal trainers offer small-group trainings so that their clients can split the cost of an in-person session.
5. Enroll in online coaching.
Online coaching is becoming mainstream because it offers you flexibility to do workouts at your own pace. And they also cost much less than in-person training.
Here’s a video testimonial from someone who used a personal trainer to achieve his fitness goals: